Somewhere in the Rainbow Finds a Home at the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum
Somewhere in the Rainbow joins the University of Arizona’s renowned mineral collection consisting of 20,000 global specimens, which is also noted for its strength in minerals from the southwestern United States and Mexico. Together with the Somewhere in the Rainbow collection (a large part of it exhibited under a five-year agreement), 6,000 of the finest mineral specimens will be on exhibit (figure 1) at the new Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum, located at the historic Pima County Courthouse in downtown Tucson (figure 2). The museum is on the verge of reopening in 2021, says manager Eric Fritz. Its location in Tucson is apt, given that the city is a global destination for gemstones, minerals, and the visitors who trade in them.
Figure 2. The Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum will be housed at Tucson’s recently refurbished Pima County Courthouse. The building renovation cost over US$30 million. Courtesy of the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum.
The museum is named after the wife of noted Tucson real estate developer Allan Norville. In the 1990s, the couple founded the Gem and Jewelry Exchange (GJX), which remains a major force among the many shows that come to Tucson every year. To date, more than 40 gem and mineral shows exhibit across the town every January and February. The Norvilles are major patrons of the new museum. At 1,600 pieces and counting, the Somewhere in the Rainbow collection consists mainly of finished gem material complementing the mineral displays (see below). Its strength lies in gem carvings, loose gemstones, and jewelry. This collection has traveled across the United States in recent years, visiting AGS Guild stores and other high-end retailers. Its mission is “to bring hands-on education and enjoyment of fine colored gems to museums, galleries, gemologists, and facilities dedicated to preserving the rarity, history, and beauty of the gems and articles of jewelry.”
Shelly Sergent, the Somewhere in the Rainbow collection’s manager, is credited with building it at the behest of unnamed patrons. She says that it offers the public, students, scientists, and educators a distinct snapshot of the gemstone supply chain. “Mother Nature gives us rocks. Cutters and carvers give us gemstones, and jewelry designers give us heirlooms,” Sergent explains.
The collection provides enthusiasts with a better understanding of the beauty and rarity—as well as the unique collaboration between nature and artists. “I realize truly that our mission is not only about education—it’s about community,” says Ms. Sergent. “In that regard, we have brought together more than 127 different people that have worked with us in some capacity on this collection, whether that be miners, stone chasers, lapidary artists, designers, jewelers, and the heads of different laboratories.”
Ahead of the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum’s 2021 reopening, GIA had the opportunity to visit with Sergent to examine, handle, and photograph some of the collection’s significant pieces. The accompanying photo gallery offers just some of the highlights.
